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UT trustees approve 2.2 percent tuition increase, lowest in more than 30 years

For the second year in a row, tuition increases at the University of Tennessee are the lowest in more than 30 years, according to the university.

That low increase — 2.2 percent for most undergraduates across the system — was met with praise Thursday from members of the UT board of trustees who, along with UT President Joe DiPietro, credited strong funding support from the state and steps to fix the 'broken' university funding model as reasons the increase was limited.

The increase, approved at the board's meeting in Knoxville, will apply to most undergraduates at the Knoxville campus.

The exception will be students who started in the 2013-14 academic year. Those students were part of the 'Take 15, Graduate in 4' program and had tuition capped at lower-than-average levels than in the past, according to UT.

Graduate students, those in Knoxville and at the UT College of Veterinary Medicine, will see a 4 percent tuition increase for the coming year. Out-of-state veterinary students will also see an additional 0.2 percent tuition increase.

Students in the UT College of Law will see no tuition increase.

DiPietro said the university is grateful for the financial support from the state, but that the university has 'taken very seriously the need to do all we can to cut our costs and maximize our resources.'

'The good work in this area has made a great impact,' he said.

According to the university, the last time undergraduate tuition increases were 3 percent or less for two years in a row was in 1978 and 1979. The current increase is the lowest since 1984.

The upcoming academic year is the second year of a systemwide plan to fix what DiPietro called a 'broken' university funding model, which aims to close a funding gap that was initially projected to be $377 million over the next decade. That amount is down to $247 million, DiPietro said during a state of the university speech in February in Nashville.

As part of that plan, tuition increases must stay within the rate of inflation.

The success of the new funding model was also mentioned in DiPietro's annual performance review, which was largely positive.

Because of compensation terms the board approved in October, the president will receive a 5 percent increase in base salary each year in July from 2015 to 2018 as long as the board is satisfied with his performance.

Trustees approved DiPietro's performance review during the Thursday meeting as well, increasing his base salary from $488,899 to $513,344.

Also within the $2.2 billion budget for the system was $32.1 million for a salary increase pool of 3 percent across the system. The budget for the upcoming year is a 3.4 percent increase from the current year.

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